New Year’s Day politics

Pennsylvania lawmakers who won election in November will be sworn in on New Year’s Day in the Capitol.

In the House, all 203 lawmakers will take the oath of office. In the Senate, half the

Senate will.

The state constitution says the Legislature must be sworn in on the first Tuesday in January.

It’s usually a festive occasion with lawmakers posing for pictures with family and friends. That should be the way it goes in the House, which also will vote for a new speaker. That position is held by Rep. Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny, and it is not expected to change.

But over in the Senate, some politics may be afoot.

Republicans who control the Senate want Democrat Lindsey Williams, who won the Pittsburgh region’s 38th Senate District, to prove she meets the residency requirement to serve in the chamber.

The constitution says senators must have lived in a district for four years before serving.

Republicans contend she did not meet that requirement, pointing to voting and vehicle records in Maryland.

In October, a state judge rejected a lawsuit about Williams’ residency status because it was filed too late. His ruling did not determine the domicile question.

Williams says she did live in the district and has provided documents to prove it, while her fellow Democrats have called Republicans sore election losers.

So will political fireworks be lit on Jan. 1 or will the residency question quietly peter out in the upper chamber known for spirited, yet cordial politics?

Stay tuned.